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It's a competitive category, but football might be America's most beloved sport. Sorry, basketball and baseball. And soccer, good to see you, but who invited you to this conversation? Millions of fans follow football at both a college and professional level. Those fans are primarily in America, but there are many around the world who live and breathe the sport, too.
While the basic rules and objectives are similar, there are big difference between college football and the National Football League (NFL) that every sports fan needs to know about. If you're a newcomer to the sport, this piece will enhance your understanding and appreciation of both levels of play.
Arguably the most fundamental difference between college football and the NFL is player status. Because of their amateur student-athletes status, college football players don't get paid to play. However, although they don't receive direct compensation for their athletic endeavors, they do receive scholarships - and these cover tuition, room, board, and other educational expenses.
This is in stark contrast with NFL players. They're professional who sign contracts and receive salaries, which are, sometimes, astronomical. In fact, the minimum salary for an NFL rookie in 2023 wasn't far off $1m. The bigger your star becomes, the higher you get paid, with the best in the league often picking up tens of millions of dollars every year.
Whether you're learning about these systems for your fantasy league or research for your Bet365 Bonus Code, at times, it can feel like you're studying quantum mechanics rather than a ball game. Even this part is a bit trickier to grasp and may require a pen and paper. You see, college football is divided into different divisions (FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III) and conferences. The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is the highest level of college football, consisting of 130 teams across 10 conferences. The regular season is short, with most teams only playing 12 games between late August and early December.
Meanwhile, the NFL consists of 32 professional teams divided into two conferences (AFC and NFC), each with four divisions. The NFL regular season lasts for 18 weeks, with each team playing 17 games.
The college football playoff system has evolved over the years, particularly when it comes to the FBS. Presently, the College Football Playoff (CFP) determines the national champion. A selection committee chooses (yes, you read that right) four teams to compete in two semi-final games, with the winners advancing to the national championship game.
As you might expect, the NFL has a more extensive playoff system. Fourteen teams (seven from each conference) qualify for the playoffs, which eventually lead to the Super Bowl, the showpiece final and the league's championship game.
Yes, the basic rules are similar, but there are notable gameplay differences between college football and the NFL:
a) Clock management: In college football, the clock stops after first downs to allow the chains to be moved. This differs from the NFL, where the clock continues to run unless the ball carrier goes out of bounds or there's an incomplete pass.
b) Overtime rules: College football uses a system where each team gets a possession starting from the opponent's 25-yard line. The NFL has a more complex overtime system, with sudden death elements after initial possessions.
c) Field dimensions: While the field length is the same (100 yards), college hash marks are wider apart. This difference can affect play-calling and formation options.
d) Catch rules: The NFL has more stringent requirements for what constitutes a completed catch, especially regarding maintaining possession when going to the ground.
Education matters, and college football players need to remember this. That's because they could lose their playing eligibility if their academic standards slip. Typically, they have four years of eligibility, which they must use within five years of enrollment.
Even NFL rookies require a degree of seniority before they can become eligible for the draft. The rules state that they must be at least three years removed from high school before they're eligible for the call.
College football team rosters can be comically big, often with over 100 players. Given the developmental stage these players are at, rotation makes sense.
NFL teams are smaller, with the limit being 53 active players on game day, with additional practice squad members. This smaller roster size demands more versatility from (more experienced) players and impacts substitution strategies.
Anyone familiar with Friday Night Lights knows about college football's passionate fan bases. It's a culture steeped in school traditions and vibrant game-day atmospheres. Because of the alumni link, the bond between the team and the local community is strong. The professional game loses that sense of connections with fan bases being much broader.
The popularity of college football means you can find it on television, but it's not the same coverage as that of the NFL. College football rights are often conference-based, with games spread across multiple networks. The NFL has more centralized media rights deals, with specific networks associated with particular game times (e.g., Monday Night Football on ESPN).
Although college football and the NFL share the same sport at their core, the differences between them are substantial. From the amateur status of college players to the professional environment of the NFL, each level of the sport offers its unique appeal.